A bike parking tent without any bike rack outside the south entrance to the Calgary Stampede on July 7, 2014. The Stampede is significantly increasing the number of bike racks it has at this year's event. Gavin Young / Calgary Herald

The city has plans to install infrastructure that will add 800 new bike parking spaces downtown this summer, and the Calgary Stampede ordered 10 new bike racks for this year’s festivities.

The added Stampede infrastructure will boost bike parking at the grounds by 180 spaces, from spots for 150 bikes last July to 330 this year.

The organization is also piloting a new free bike valet at next month’s edition of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth and encouraging attendees to ride their bike to Stampede Park.

“There will be someone (at the bike valet) to help you check in your bike … and we’re also looking into having a bike mechanic there,” said Stampede spokeswoman Jennifer Booth.

The new infrastructure stands in sharp contrast to last year’s Stampede, when organizers were criticized for a lack of bike parking (including a marked bike corral that had no bike racks) and officials admitted the event didn’t have a history of promoting two-wheeled transport.

The Stampede’s efforts come at the same time other Calgary events and businesses are striving to be more bike-friendly.

“Event organizers a couple years ago would say bike parking would be nice, but they didn’t need it. This year they’re saying, ‘We definitely need bike parking, how can you help us?’” said Colin Smith, the owner of Green Events Services, a company that helps events go green.

Smith is also the environmental co-ordinator at Sled Island, a multi-day music and arts festival that’s underway at 30 inner-city venues and a popular event for two-wheeled transport.

In Sled Island’s early years, attendees struggled to find spots to lock their bikes and organizers have since worked with the city to get 50 small, permanent bike racks installed near downtown venues.

Smith said an additional 1,500 temporary bike parking spaces will be set up during this year’s Sled Island festival thanks to temporary racks from the City of Calgary and Alberta Bike Swap.

Special events aside, Smith said a lack of places to park bikes in Calgary is becoming more of a problem.

Citizens can request a bike rack installation via 311, which is something Dave Porteous did last week after struggling to find a place to park his wheels outside an 11th Avenue S.W. bar that’s near the new 5th Street cycle track.

“There’s definitely a lack of cycle parking,” Porteous said.

Porteous found the process of requesting bicycle parking through the city’s 311 online system easy and he was pleased to soon see a rack at the location he requested.

“Whether it was from my single request or a combination of others isn’t clear. But obviously, 311 doesn’t go unnoticed,” he said.

City of Calgary spokeswoman Pooja Thakore said the City has recently increased bike parking (though exact numbers on bike racks installed were not available) and has plans to add 800 bike spaces downtown this summer.

She encouraged people who’ve noticed parking problems to put in a rack request.

Last week, Bike Calgary president Kimberley Nelson couldn’t find a space to park her bike at a packed downtown Safeway bike rack, and she brought the issue to the attention of the store’s manager, then later tweeted about it.

Nelson encouraged Calgarians to put in a 311 request, or talk to a business’ manager, if they’re struggling to find a safe place to lock their wheels.

“There’s a lot of people saying … none of my clients arrive by bike but it’s because no one looks like they’ve arrived by bike,” Nelson said. “We’re not coming in wearing spandex or sweating profusely.”

@BluHrGirl Thanks for your feedback! We are working with the District Manager & looking into getting more bike racks for this location!

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Market to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.